Title: The challenges of teaching islamic religious education on spiritual and academic

formation of secondary schools students in Nairobi, Kenya

Author: Shaaban, Juma M.
Abstract: This study sought to investigate the challenges of teaching IRE on spiritual and
academic formation of secondary school students in Nairobi, Kenya. The study shows
that the foundation of education in Islam is guided by the principles of Quran and
Hadith (the saying and deeds of Prophet Muhammad) (PBUH). Indeed, the first
revelation of the Quran (Q.96; 1-5) forms the cornerstone of education in Islam. The
study further shows that from the Islamic point of view, education is classified into
two categories that is, the knowledge of religious obligations- fardh 'ain. Revealed
knowledge or religious sciences fall under this category. The second category is
knowledge of the world or universe- fardh kifayah which is communal obligation.
This means that it is a duty for all members of the community. Every Muslim should
strive to develop himself or herself by earning a living. Acquired knowledge fall
under this category. It is noted that IRE's pnmary goal is moral refinement and
spiritual formation. IRE is inclined towards noble character building. As an academic
subject, IRE has- been very instrumental in developing the natural and personal skills
of students. The content of IRE helps students to develop spiritually and academically
leading to moral refinement and character building. The framework of the study was
derived from the holy Quran and Hadith and various perspectives were used. The
study adopted both ~stematic and purposive sampling procedures to select 12
secondary schools out of 37 that offer IRE in Nairobi. Four categories of respondents
were selected. These include IRE teachers and students, directors and managers of
Islamic organizations such as Islamic Foundation, Ummah Foundation, Supreme
Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) among others and curriculum planners and
developers. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires and was
analyzed with the help of tables of frequency distribution and percentages. It was then
synthesized and interpreted accordingly. The study shows that the major challenges
facing the teaching of IRE in secondary schools in Nairobi is shortage of trained IRE
teachers. Other challenges include inadequate teaching and learning resources and
lack of capacity building and staff development programmes. Few students enrol for
IRE because of the negative attitude by both the parents and the students towards the
subject. It is also shown that parents encourage their sons and daughters to pursue
courses which would be useful in the labor market in terms of getting formal
employment. This involves taking subjects which are science oriented as opposed to
Art based subjects such as IRE. The study is concluded by noting that Islamic
organizations have played a big role in assisting the needy secondary school students
in Nairobi. These organizations pay school fees for the needy students through bursary
schemes. Other contributions made by these organizations include provision of
teaching and learning materials for IRE, sponsorship of Muslim students to teacher
training colleges for PI, Diploma and University to study IRE and finally
establishment of colleges to train IRE teachers.